Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-08


era officers did not believe in his statement.
They took the negroes aside and questioned
them. | could see that they were telling who
| really was, and when the officers came back
one of them asked me number of questions
He wanted to know all about the insignia of
rank Of the officers of the Confederate army,
and as he asked as to brigadier and ma ior gen
erals | noticed that he was looking curiously
at my coat collar had torn the stars from
it., but he could see the places upon which
they had been sewn, as they were not
faded like the rest of the coat He
then asked me if l knew that John
ston had surrendered. / replied that
| did, and that also knew that an order had
been issued that soldiers should be paroled
who surrendered north of the Chattahoochee
river | then announced who | was, and sur
rendered. He took me with him, and at At
lanta | was told that, inasmuch as | was so
anxious to be with jeff Davis they had de-
cided to send me along with him.
II was taken to Augusta and was here put,
together with jefferson Davis, Alexander
Stephens, Clement c. Clay, John II. Reagan,
and the wives of Clay and Davis, upon a
little boat and taken in this down to Savan-
nah, where we got another boat which took
us north. Mrs. Davis had Winnie Davis
along with her at this time She was then a
very little baby, and | had her on my knee
during part of the voyage. The boat which
took us north was guarded by the gunboat
Matamoras. When we reached Fortress
Monroe Mr.. Davis was taken off under guard,
and the party divided. Reagan and Stephens
were sent to Fort Warren, while was put on
another boat and sent to Fort Delaware
was kept there one month imprisoned in n
cell, with guard of twenty-six soldiers and
several officers placed over me. | had moth
ing to read and was not allowed to write nor
to speak to any one. After time | was
released without trial, and / went south and
settled in Alabama
-.
"Had you any fears for your life during the
voyage to the north" l asked. 1T must
have been very gloomy trip"
swell" replied Gen. Wheeler with a smile,
sit was not the pleasantest; but Iapprehended
no danger, and | joked about the matter in
such a way as Mortified Alexander Stephens
Stephens was the most apprehensve man of
the party, and he rebuked me when / said
that had been accustomed to going north
every summer for my health, and that the
Federal government was very kind in the
present instance, when | had no money. to
take me there and to pay my expenses for me-
Dlr. Stephens said that it was very serious
matter, and that as for him he expected
nothing less than very long if not perpetual
confinement. | told him that there was no
danger of his being i'll treated, and that the
majority of the public men in power in the
north had known him III congress, that they
were really his friends, and that they would
not harm him on account of the speech which
he had made for the Union in the south be-
fore the war began"
Mr.. Stephens shook his head and said he
expected no such good fortune. then asked
him:
"Well, Mr. Stephens, if this is to be your
future, what must become of President
Davis"
He raised his hands and said:
Don't speak Of it! His future is too hor-
rible to think of
Mr.. Reagan took the situation more calmly.
and he seemed to think as | did. that we
would all be eventually freed without punish
ment. 1t was not, however, the most pleas
ant experience, and it is much more agreeable
to remember than to pass through it,
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.